The Chamonix Summer Writing Programs (in
coordination with Butler University) will feature both high altitudes and high
levels of literature. Featured instructors for the June program include fiction
author Anne Korkeakivi, memoir writer Cheryl Strand, and many others.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Writer
Abroad joined a new writing group. It’s a very organized, well-run group that
includes writers of all ages and levels—and the best part is that Writer Abroad
doesn't have to organize it. Unlike the Zurich Writers Workshop, which
she co-founded since there was no other organization for English-language
writers in Zurich, this group has already been in existence for many years. It
meets every other week at the local library where writers of all ages read and
critique each other’s work. Like all things American that she’s joined lately,
Writer Abroad is the newbie.

As more of
an outsider than most, one thing has struck Writer Abroad about the critiques
in her new group: They are really, really nice.

“I loved
this piece.” That’s how most people start and end their critiques.

In her time
abroad working with mainly German and Swiss nationalities, she became, well,
able to give and accept more direct negative feedback. This is not natural for
an American, but it becomes that way once you’ve been in another culture for several years.

When it
comes to her new American writing group, Writer Abroad doesn’t want to be the
strange European-influenced critic. She remembers all to well her first days in
Switzerland working with Swiss and Germans who had no shame in giving her direct
negative feedback, which, at the time, felt like a slap in the face.

Luckily, critiquing
like an American is one part of returning home that’s been pretty easy to
acclimate to. So if you come by her new writing group sometime, you’ll probably
see Writer Abroad wearing big white gym shoes and saying things like “I loved
this piece” whether she loved it or not.

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About Me

I’m an American writer who moved to Switzerland in 2006 and am now back in the US to determine if I can live anywhere else after being in a country filled with cheese, chocolate, and people who can pronounce my name. The author of Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I'd Known www.swisslifebook.com, and 99.9 Ways to Travel Switzerland Like a Local www.swisstravelbook.com, I have written about Switzerland for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN Travel, and many other publications.
Visit: www.chantalpanozzo.com

Copyright 2009 Chantal Panozzo. All content is sole property of the author and may not be reproduced in any form without permission. (But linking is welcome). Please contact the author for syndication or reprint inquiries.